Saturday, January 4, 2014

Due to a vehicle accident(no injuries) by the RI Tram, there will be a delay in red bus service. Red Buses are currently being re-routed towards the East Roadway. An additional advisory will be sent when normal service resumes.

... the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) has invited the Carpenters Union representative, Mr. McWilliams, to speak at the January meeting of the Common Council. At least one RIRA member has objected to inviting the union representative to the monthly RIRA meeting but suggested that if the union member is invited, so should a representative from the building contractor/developer....

Apparently, RIRA President Ellen Polivy objected to information about the Union representative being invited to the next RIRA meeting becoming public.

Ms. Polivy wrote to other RIRA Common Council (CC) members

How did information I put on CC talk get onto the blog?

I am getting emails from people who said they saw information about the invite of the labor union coming to our public session on the blog. Who is taking information meant only for discussion on the CC and posting it on the blog?

I want to point out that information on CC talk is only for discussion among CC members. It is private and not meant to be given to outside organizations.

If this continues, then it renders preliminary discussions among council members useless.

Some RIRA members object to having their statements made public to the Roosevelt Island community whether on this blog or the Main Street WIRE newspaper. A RIRA committee is drafting a Code of Ethical Conduct regarding RIRA communications policy. One member of the Committee suggests that RIRA should prohibit certain information discussed by RIRA members from being shared with the public. According to that RIRA member:

RIRA is defined as a membership organization of which the Common Council is a representative body. Our Constitution states:

ARTICLE II, RIRA MEMBERSHIP
Section 1, Membership
All individuals who live in residential housing on Roosevelt Island are members of RIRA.

Our Constitution goes on to state that “all meetings of the Common Council shall be open to the public.” Nowhere does it state that all our communications shall be public and in fact the CC has the right to vote to go into executive session that is not shared with the public. Therefore the common council has the right to restrict communications and is not obligated to share all of its communications. Moreover, since we are not a government organization we have the right to prohibit communications to nonresidents, just as individual building Residents Associations do. Since the RI blog and the Wire are open to entire public, including nonresidents, we do have every right to prohibit CC members from publishing CC talk communications in those entities.

Whether “members” of RIRA (i.e., residents) have the right to access all CC communications is a separate issue and something we should seek legal counsel about. However, I note that even the federal government is not required to disclose deliberative process information or presidential communications to the public under the FOIA. In our case, I would argue that deliberative process covers the vast majority of our communications on CC talk, which are discussions of potential legislative or policy initiatives. This information must not be shared with others and indeed to do so is a violation of fiduciary duty to the organization. Those who wish to express their opinions on blogs or in the newspapers at the very least should not include verbatim quotations from CC talk or from private emails/discussions.

Not all RIRA CC members wish to keep their discussions secret. Some RIRA members believe that since they are elected to represent the interests of Roosevelt Island residents, CC members should be free to discuss issues of concern with the public as they see fit.

The next RIRA meeting is 8 PM Wednesday, January 8, at Good Shepherd Community Center. Perhaps this issue will be part of the discussion.

**Effective at 4 PM today, parking on both sides of all Roosevelt Island roadways will be suspended until further notice. **

Please be advised that the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning citywide from 6:00 PM Thu, Jan. 2 to 1:00 PM Fri Jan. 3. The current forecast calls for 6-8 inches of snow accompanied by strong winds. The NYC Office of Emergency Management (OEM) today issued a Hazardous Travel Advisory for Thu and Fri due to anticipated weather conditions that will result in wet, slick sidewalks; roadways could quickly turn icy.

ALL vehicles must be moved off the roads in order for snow preparation and subsequent removal to take place. Free parking will be available at the Motorgate Garage and underneath the Helix Ramp until further notice. If you have any questions or problems, contact Public Safety at (212) 832 4545 or the Motorgate Garage at (212) 832-4585. You may also come to the Motorgate offices on the fourth floor of the Garage.

The roof of the Motorgate Parking Garage will also be closed due to anticipated icy conditions. The exit will remain open for cars that are already parked in this location; additional parking is available on the lower levels.

Red Bus service will not extend to Southpoint Park during this time, but will terminate at the Tram Station before continuing North.

In addition, access to the Commons area east of the Subway station will be closed off due to recurring icy conditions.

Residents should drive slowly, monitor weather and traffic, use major streets or highways, and keep the name and number of at least one local towing service. Pedestrians should avoid slippery surfaces, dress in layers, and maintain a heightened awareness of cars, especially when crossing intersections.

Trucks will be plowing and salting the roadways throughout the day and during the night in order to avert dangerous travel conditions. We urge all residents to check in on their elderly and disabled neighbors, to be careful and stay safe throughout the storm. Thank you for your cooperation while necessary preparations for the storm and subsequent snow removal are taking place.

Sincerely,

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

Be careful

Image of Roped Off Riverwalk Commons

tonight.

UPDATE 3:20 PM - RIOC just sent out this second advisory:

**Reminder: Effective at 4 PM today, there will be NO PARKING on Main St. or the East and West Roadways in order for snow preparation and subsequent removal to take place.**

Please be advised that the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning citywide from 6:00 PM Thu, Jan. 2 to 1:00 PM Fri Jan. 3. The current forecast calls for 6-8 inches of snow accompanied by strong winds. The NYC Office of Emergency Management (OEM) today issued a Hazardous Travel Advisory for Thu and Fri due to anticipated weather conditions that will result in wet, slick sidewalks; roadways could quickly turn icy.

Residents should move their cars off the roads by 4 PM today. As an alternative, free parking will be available at the Motorgate Garage and underneath the Helix Ramp until further notice. If you have any questions or problems, contact Public Safety at (212) 832-4545 or the Motorgate Garage at (212) 832-4585. You may also come to the Motorgate offices on the fourth floor of the Garage.

In anticipation of the storm, we have posted CLOSED signs at the Four Freedoms Park gate tonight. We will be assessing the situation Friday morning at 6:00 a.m. to determine if the Park will remain closed on Friday.

If the weather does not require us to close, and staff are able to make it safely to the Park, we will remove the signs and open for regular hours of operation tomorrow....

... A few weeks ago, we received complaints that the elevator had been out of service at the Manhattan Tram Station. We’re pleased to report that maintenance has been performed and the elevator has been up and running without an issue since then....

However, the maintenance problem with the Manhattan Tram elevator is an ongoing problem.

FYI. The elevators break more and more frequently, both at the same time, and with the island population changing towards more babies and families, the weather getting cold, stairs slippery, no help with gate opening in the afternoons and no heaters outside the gate on the island side, the whole Tram travel experience is becoming a nightmare for families, bikers and wheelchair-users.

If there is anything you can do to have the elevators replaced soon, we would be very very thankful.

Happy New Year,

Ms. Bosbach told me:

... a woman with a broken ankle was with us in the out of service elevator this morning and had to walk the slippery stairs down....

... An additional ADA elevator for $1,000,000 is included in FY 2015 budget for the Manhattan station...

Not known yet when work will begin on the new Tram elevator or an anticipated date of completion.

UPDATE 1/4 - RIOC sent out the following advisory at 1 AM this morning:

Please be advised that the Manhattan Tram Station elevator is in service however the wheelchair lift is currently out of service. An advisory will be sent out once the wheelchair lift is returned to service.

Sincerely,

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

UPDATE 1/4 - Received this advisory from RIOC at 4:46 PM:

Please be advised the Manhattan Tram elevator is out of service.

Sincerely,

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

Roosevelt Island resident Mark Lyon has a suggestion:

... it might be worthwhile to investigate the possibility of replacing the exterior stairs next to the elevator with some type of winding ramp, if a small additional amount of real estate could be utilized in the park (either around the elevator shaft or toward the rear of the station, where the generator/dirt patch is currently located). While having a working elevator is still important, a permanent, non-mechanical way of easing access might be attractive to all (particularly those with strollers and carts) and would provide an alternative if the elevator is out of service for some reason.

There appears to be some sort of humidity issue with the current elevator shaft. I'm uncertain if that's the complete cause of the problems, but I've boarded it on numerous occasions after a strong temperature shift outside and noticed that water condenses on the walls.

UPDATE 8:10 PM - At 8:08 RIOC advised:

Please be advised that the Manhattan Tram Station elevator is in service however the wheelchair lift is currently out of service. An advisory will be sent out once the wheelchair lift is returned to service.

... We recognize a city government’s first responsibilities: to keep our neighborhoods safe; to keep our streets clean; to ensure that those who live here – and those who visit – can get where they need to go in every boroughs. But we know that our mission reaches deeper. We are called to put an end to economic and social inequalities that threaten to unravel the city we love. And so today, we commit to a new progressive direction in New York. And that same progressive impulse has written our city’s history. It’s in our DNA....

... So let me be clear. When I said we would take dead aim at the Tale of Two Cities, I meant it. And we will do it. I will honor the faith and trust you have placed in me. And we will give life to the hope of so many in our city. We will succeed as One City. We know this won’t be easy; It will require all that we can muster. And it won’t be accomplished only by me; It will be accomplished by all of us — those of us here today, and millions of everyday New Yorkers in every corner of our city.

You must continue to make your voices heard. You must be at the center of this debate. And our work begins now.

We will expand the Paid Sick Leave law — because no one should be forced to lose a day’s pay, or even a week’s pay, simply because illness strikes. And by this time next year, fully 300,000 additional New Yorkers will be protected by that law. We won’t wait.

We’ll do it now. We will require big developers to build more affordable housing. We’ll fight to stem the tide of hospital closures. And we’ll expand community health centers into neighborhoods in need, so that New Yorkers see our city not as the exclusive domain of the One Percent, but a place where everyday people can afford to live, work, and raise a family. We won’t wait. We’ll do it now.

We will reform a broken stop-and-frisk policy, both to protect the dignity and rights of young men of color, and to give our brave police officers the partnership they need to continue their success in driving down crime. We won’t wait. We’ll do it now.

We will ask the very wealthy to pay a little more in taxes so that we can offer full-day universal pre-K and after-school programs for every middle school student. And when we say “a little more,” we can rightly emphasize the “little.”...

... we need a dramatic new approach — rebuilding our communities from the bottom-up, from the neighborhoods up. And just like before, the world will watch as we succeed. All along the way, we will remember what makes New York, New York.

A city that fights injustice and inequality — not just because it honors our values, but because it strengthens our people. A city of five boroughs — all created equal. Black, white, Latino, Asian, gay, straight, old, young, rich, middle class, and poor. A city that remembers our responsibility to each other — our common cause — is to leave no New Yorker behind....

was accused of sexual harassment by a junior member of his Assembly staff. At the time Mr. Kellner responded to the charges by saying:

Over four years ago, for a few weeks while I was still single, I exchanged instant messages with a female member of my staff that were flirtatious. It was inappropriate. I was wrong and it was stupid. When I was told that my staffer felt the messages were unprofessional, I immediately stopped and regretted placing her in that position. I was sorry then and I am sorry now.

A state assemblyman from the Upper East Side of Manhattan was sanctioned on Monday after an ethics investigation found that he had sexually harassed staff members.

The assemblyman, Micah Z. Kellner, a Democrat, was stripped of his position as chairman of the Committee on Libraries and Education Technology and will be forbidden to hold leadership positions in the future. He will also be barred from having interns and will have the size of his staff reduced over time, the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, said...

... In banning Kellner from any future leadership posts and freezing his staff allocations - effectively reducing Kellner’s staff through attrition - Silver went beyond the punishment recommendations made by the ethics committee.

In a letter to Kellner, Silver said his behavior was “intolerable” and “inconsistent with the standards of conduct to which members of the Assembly should be held.”...

... "The findings of the Assembly Ethics and Guidance Committee concerning the conduct of Assemblymember Kellner are deeply disturbing and I am immediately implementing all of its recommendations," Silver said in a statement. "Let me be clear – this type of behavior is not to be tolerated."

A review by the Ethics Committee, which has an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, substantiated the complaints and said Kellner's conduct was “unbecoming of a member of the Assembly and reflects poorly on the entire body.”...

Reached on cell phone Monday night, Kellner declined to comment, saying he and his lawyer were still reviewing the ethics committee report.

UPDATE 7:10 PM - A spokesman for Assembly Member Kellner replied:

Assembly Member Kellner does not accept the Ethics Committee’s and Speaker Silver's findings. The letter sent by the Committee was factually inaccurate and the investigation was flawed. Assembly Member Kellner will appeal the ruling in accordance with the Assembly’s 2009-2010 Assembly Sexual Harassment Policy, Article VI, mandating that a hearing officer be designated to conduct a public hearing concerning these findings. At a hearing, sworn testimony must be taken from all witnesses permitting the fundamental right to cross examine the accuser and the evidence that exists. Perhaps then the real facts surrounding this matter will be heard.

NY State Governor Andrew Cuomo issued the following statement:

The latest reports of sexual harassment in the Assembly should be the last straw.

This pattern of behavior is repugnant by every standard and directly contradicts the policies the Assembly has advanced for the last 20 years.

Assemblymember Micah Kellner's conduct, confirmed by the Assembly Ethics and Guidance Committee's investigation, has no place in New York State government. It is time for him to immediately deny these allegations or resign. Likewise, Assemblymember Dennis Gabryszak must immediately deny the allegations against him or resign. If they do not resign, the Assembly must send a clear message that they do not tolerate this abuse of women and should seriously consider moving to expel them if they seek to return this coming session.

An arrest was made at the union demonstration today. Apparently, a Roosevelt Island resident was disturbed by the noise coming from the union demonstration this morning and threatened a protester with a knife. According to a NYPD Press Spokesperson, the Roosevelt Island resident was arrested for "menacing".

Also, Ed McWilliams, a representative from NYC Carpenters union sent the following letter to RIOC President Charlene Indelicato:

PROJECT: 480 MAIN STREET MANHATTAN Block: 1373 Lot: 8

Dear Ms Indelicato,

It has come to our attention that RNC INDUSTRIES LLC may be currently seeking to perform work on one or more of your projects. Please be informed that the New York City District Council of Carpenters has a labor dispute with RNC INDUSTRIES LLC because they do not meet area labor standards. RNC INDUSTRIES LLC does not pay the area standard wages to all their employees including providing or fully paying for health benefits and pension.

The New York City District Council of Carpenters has made a solid commitment of personnel and resources to protect and preserve area standard wages, including providing or making payments for family health care and a dignified retirement for all area carpentry craft workers. Therefore, we are asking that you use your managerial discretion to not allow these non area standard contractors to perform any work on any of your projects unless and until they generally meet area labor standards for all their carpentry craft work.

We want you to be aware that our new and aggressive public information campaign against RNC INDUSTRIES LLC will unfortunately impact all parties associated with projects where they are employed. That campaign will include highly visible lawful banner displays and distribution of handbills at the jobsite and premises of property owners, developers, general contractors, and other firms involved with projects involving a non area standard contractor. We certainly prefer to work cooperatively with all involved parties rather than to have an adversarial relationship with them but cannot sit idly by while these entities condone and/or support the non-area standards contractor.

If you agree to comply with the request we have made in this letter, or if our information about a non area standard contractor being involved with any of your projects is incorrect, please call the undersigned immediately... Doing so will provide the greatest protection against your firm becoming publicly involved in this dispute through misunderstanding or error.

Will ask Ms. Indelicato for a response and post an update if received.

Also, the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) has invited the Carpenters Union representative, Mr. McWilliams, to speak at the January meeting of the Common Council. At least one RIRA member has objected to inviting the union representative to the monthly RIRA meeting but suggested that if the union member is invited, so should a representative from the building contractor/developer.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE 12/31 - RIOC President Indelicato responds:

RIOC does not not dispute anyones right to free speech, however, any such demonstrations must be done in an orderly and legal manner which will not infringe on the rights of others in the community.

We at RIOC hope that 2014 will be a year of cooperation, growth and prosperity for Roosevelt Island.

I married two fantastic women on the Roosevelt Island Tram. I had fun. They had fun. And the view? Better than Empire State Building. And better than Top of the Rock. I swear-- the views are fabulous, and you really can just take the Tram back-and-forth. (At the cost of a metro card, it's also infinitely cheaper the Empire or TOR.)...

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WELCOME TO ROOSEVELT ISLAND

Welcome to the Roosevelt Islander Online!

Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.

The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.